Milpa is a crop-growing system in the
Yucatan peninsula area of
Mexico. Based on ancient
Mayan Slash and burn[?] methods, it produces
maize,
beans,
lima beans[?] and
squash. The milpa cycle calls for 2 years of cultivation and eight years of letting the area lie fallow. Agronomists believe that at current levels of consumption the system is self-sustaining.